Friday, September 11, 2015

Getting a new TV is pretty exciting —especially
with all the choices there are today for 4K TVs and Curved TVs and HDTVs
and the various operating systems they now are using, for example Android TV. But at the heart of things, no matter
whether you get a moderate sized TV or a big screen TV, it’s all about the
picture and how good it looks to you when you sit down to watch it.

There are two ways in which the TV’s picture can be
improved: the physical way which takes into account where and how it’s
placed relative to the people watching, and the controls that the TV set itself
has and which can be adjusted/fine tuned to suit the viewer’s
preferences.

The physical way in which the TV is set up for watching is a
topic for another time, but for those looking for the simplest and most
productive means for this (including wall mounting of the TV, proper lighting,
etc.), turning to a professional installer, for example Just One Touch,
will not only be the easiest means to accomplish this but also the most
efficient.

Now why should you bother in changing what the TV is displaying? Why not leave the picture as is?
One reason is that there is always the chance that the TV has been set to its “store”display
setting —which can be an actual mode or just a setting that applies
to this. This setting assumes the TV is on display in a “store”or
a location where the lighting is fluorescent or overhead or with lots of glare
and so drives up the contrast to compensate. Since excessive contrast can
destroy detail, we don’t want it—or any of the
factory settings that the TV has when it’s taken out of the
box. The settings need to reflect the wishes of the owner.

So here we will concentrate on improving the TVs picture
ourselves through judicious use of the controls that the TV itself provides
(avoiding calibration devices which, again, are more useful when used by a
professional, not to mention being costly). And there’s no need to be
alarmed that what you do might cause damage to the TV: check out the manual or
on-display manual and you will find that there’s a simple press or
two to restore the TV to its factory default settings.

So set yourself up with the remote, sit down in front of the TV
with the lighting of the room the way that it will normally be (i.e., some
lighting or none, an open window reflecting light into the room or covered) and
here we go.

THE BASICS

There are basic controls that, while simple and far from complex
to execute, can make a huge difference in what the overall picture will look
like. These consist of brightness and contrast, to give two examples that will
definitely affect the picture. Setting a brightness level that doesn’t
cause eyestrain is a good first step, one where the image isn’t
being dwarfed by a nearby window, for example. Of course if you watch in low
light or even a darkened room, then the level of brightness needed to be
effective and efficient will be different.Contrast also needs to be taken into account with care —as
noted above too much of it is deadly to the image. But the opposite is true
also. All of this is true of the “Sharpness”and
“Motion”features too —they’re
ones to use gingerly. Remember, you’re the boss here

FIND THE MODE

TVs provide a variety of “modes”that
affect the overall picture and have varied names: Cinema, Dynamic are among
those found but a TV manufacturer might use its own name or add types of
display altering modes that aren’t found on other TVs. In general, the “Normal”mode
is a good place to start by looking at how rich (saturated) the colors appear
when watching a TV show, and then looking more deeply into how the blacks look
here too. There should also be a “Black”related
mode setting that will affect the quality of the black —this
and other views are perceived and not technically measurable, so keeping a
record of what you are changing and how (i.e., moving a measurement up 2 points
or 10 or down 4) will help. All this doesn’t really apply to
playing games on the TV, where a gaming preset is most likely present to remove
all digital processing that could cause slowdown onscreen.

Also try and use the same “source”material
for your tests —an example being to use a Blu-ray disc
in a Blu-ray player of a TV show you are particularly
found of or an action movie and so stay within the same boundaries of what is
being seen. Since most TVs provide not only for saving changes you make (giving
them a name or number so you can return to them at will), as well as letting
you create your own, this means that you can differentiate between the best
setting for watching TV shows versus watching movies (where black can play a huge
difference in the overall quality as compared to a sitcom, etc.).

DIGITAL ENHANCEMENTS

There’s a wealth of digital features
designed to enhance the picture —some are turned on by default while
others are not. Start by turning off all of these to get a “baseline”for
how the picture looks, then add them back in one at a time while viewing how
they are affecting the picture. Remember, if you don’t like the results,
you don’t have to put up with it. Should the TV have built-in
sensors that take ambient light into account, it might be wise to turn this off
too so that the display won’t change as you move through the
various modes and enhancements. It can always be turned on afterwards and then
checked to see how it now appears when compared to the settings that were in
effect before.

Getting a new TV is exciting, but watching a great TV picture
is even more so. Spend a few minutes with your new TV so that it reflects the
best picture that you can enjoy, it’s a proven path to happiness!